Adjustable drapery hanger



April 20, 1965 G. w. KALAL E'rAL ADJUSTABLE DRAPERY HANGER Filed May 21, 1963 INVENTOR @fa//aa/ United States Patent O 3,178,760 ADJUSTABLE DRAFERY HANGER Gerald W. Kalal, 167 Shadywood Lane, Streamwood, 11i., and Donaid W. Lindhoirn, l15929 S. Grove St., Gais Forest, 1li.

Filed May 21, 1963, Ser. No. 281,969 Claims. (Cl. 16S- 875) This invention deals with devices for adjustably hanging drapes, curtains, and the like, directly from traverse rods or other fixed supports whereby the suspended drape or the like can be easily adjusted in height without being detached from the supporting rod or the like. Particularly this invention deals with an adjustable drapery tion of these heretofore required parts.

Another important feature of the device of this invention is the ease in which it is adjusted from the front of the drape even after the drape is hung thereon.

An important object of this invention is the provision of an adjustable drapery hanger mounted directly on a traverse rod and slidably supporting a member which is kpinned or otherwise secured directly to the drape thereby eliminating heretofore necessary parts without loss of function of these parts.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a one piece plastic drapery hanger suspended directly from a traverse rod or the like and slidably supporting a drapery pin or the like.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a combined drapery hanger and rod carrier.

A specific object of this invention is to provide a nylon or similar self-lubricating hard but resilient plastic material combined traverse rod carrier and drapery hanger and having a resiliently liexible section or tongue that can be tilted from the front of the drape to accommodate vertical adjustment of the drape.

Another and more specific object of the invention is the provision of a nylon or the like plastic combined traverse rod carrier and drapery hanger with a drapery pin slide support, a iinger for detachable locking engagement with the drapery pin slidably carried by the slide support and a resiliently flexible tongue section adapted to be deected from the front of the drape for retracting the finger from the pin to accommodate adjustment of the height of the drape.

Another and even more specific object of this invention is to provide a one piece plastic combined traverse rod carrier and drapery hanger adapted to be molded in multiple without requiring complicated molding dies.

Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description of the annexed sheet of drawing which, by way of preferred examples only, illustrates two embodiments of the invention.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the back of a drapery and traverse rod assembly showing the manner in which the hanger of this invention is used.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view along the line Il-Il of FIG. l.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the drapery hanger of this invention and illustrating in dotted lines the manner in which the device is tilted to accommodate vertical adjustment from the front of the drape.

ICC

FEGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the hanger of FiG. 3.

FIGURE 5 is a top plan View of the plastic support of the hanger assembly of FIGS. 1 to 4.

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view, with parts in vertical cross section, illustrating another form of this invention for use on an overhead traverse rod.

As shown on the drawings:

The assembly 1i) of FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a conventional elongated wall mounted drapery traverse rod or track 11, the hanger 12 of this invention and a drape 13 having a pocket forming heading 13a supported from the rod or track 11 through the hanger 12.

The rod 11 has a C-shaped cross section with a flat front face 11a, U-shaped rearwardly extending top and bottom portions 11b and 11C and a gap 11d at the back between the portions 11b and 11e.

The hanger 12 includes a rst part 12a riding in the track 11 and a second part 12b slidably carried by the part 12a and pinned or otherwise affixed to the drape heading 13a.

The part 12a is molded in one piece of self-lubricating hard but resilient plastic material such as nylon, Teflon, polyethylene, or the like. The part 12a includes a back 14 which is relatively rigid. The upper portion of this back has a forwardly projecting circular lug 15 with an enlarged button 16 on the end thereof. The lug is sized in diameter to fit through the gap 11d and ride between the gap deiining ends of the U-shaped portions 11b and 11C. The button 16 is too large to fit through the gap 11d and is retained in the track by the inturned legs of the U-shaped portions 11b and 11C. The lug 15 slides freely in the track and mounts the back 14 in an upright position immediately adjacent the back face of the track. rl'fhus the lug 15 spaces the button 16 from the front face of the back 14 just sufficiently to provide a gap 17 receiving the inturned ends of the U-shaped portions 11b and 11a freely therein so that the part 12a can slide freely along the length of the track without binding but guided sufficiently to restrain pivotal movement of the part 12a about the axis of the rod 11 and to hold the back in the upright position illustrated in FIG. 1. The parts 12a, of course, are inserted into the track 11 from the track ends.

The back 14 slopes forwardly at the bottom end and has an integral tiexible tongue portion 18 depending therefrom and projecting forwardly beyond the plane of the button 16. An upright relatively rigid slide guide 19 depends from the end of the tongue 18. This slide guide or carrier 19 has a vertical T slot 20 therethrough opening to the front.

The back 14 also has an integral forwardly projecting finger or pin 21 overlying the slide carrier 19 in spaced relation and aligned with the gap of the T-shaped slot through the slide carrier.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 the top of the rigid back 14 is wider than the tongue 18 and the back tapers downwardly and forwardly to the relatively narrow iiexible tongue 18.

As also shown in FIG. 4 the lug 15 and button 16 have circular or roller-like configuration and if desired can be rotatably mounted on the back 14 by a pin or axle (not shown) carried by the back if a roller movement is desired. Normally however the lixed lug 15 and button 16 composed of the self-lubricating plastic will ride freely in the track and can even be made with a non-circular configuration having rounded edges to facilitatesliding in the track.

The part 12b includes a flat metal strip 22 slidably mounted in the carrier 19 which snugly embraces the strip to hold it in an upright position in front of the back 14 and spaced suiciently from the back to accommodate the traverse rod 11. The strip 22 has a plurality of holes Y. 'y Y 3,178,760V

23 along theY length thereof adapted to selectively receiveY kin a pocket of the drape heading 13a while the tapered portion 22b forms a mouth that will guide the drape heading, the front face of the strip and the back of the pin. As shown in FIG. 2 the drape 13 has the heading 13a thereof between the strip and pin andis bottomed on the olset bottom Aportion 22a. j

When it is desired to adjust the drape 13 upwardly or downwardly relative to the rod 11 it is only necessary to pull the upper portion of the drape heading 13a forwardly thereby moving the pin and strip therewith and bending the tongue 18 so that the pin or finger 21 willbe withdrawn from the hole 23 in which .it is seated. Then the strip 22 can be moved up or down to the desired height and when released the resiliency of the tongue portion will return the guide 19 to its upright position thereby moving the linger 21 into the hole 23 aligned therewith.

The T slot arrangement of the guide 19 makes possible the molding of the plastic partV 12a in conventional splittype injectionmolds with proper knock-outs or in a slide rack type of core equipped mold for forming the T slot. ,It should be understood of course that the guide 19 could be provided with any other type of aperture to slidably mount the strip 22.

In the alternate form of the invention-shown in FIG. 6

the traverse rod is of the ceiling mounted type having a base rail 31 slidably supporting a drapery hanger 32 composed of a nylon hanger part 32a and a drapery carrying part 32h slidably'supported on 32a.

The part 32a is composed of nylon or other plastic and has a main body Vportion 33 with an open topped recess 34 therein receiving the bottom rail 31 of the traverse rod 30. The body 33 has an entrance gap 35 into the recess 34 which is large enough so as not to interfere with free sliding of the body on the rail 31 and is preferably large enough so that the body can be cocked onto the rail by partial deformation of the body so that the hangers 33 may easily be mounted on the rail without necessity for Stringing them onto the rail from one free Vend of the rail. The body has horizontal shoulders 36 on each side of the gap slidably riding on the rail 31.

The body 33 has a tongue portion 37 projecting downwardly and forwardly to a slide guide portion 38 depending on the end thereof and having a vertical aperture 39 therethrough which may be a T-slot formation to slidably guide the metal plate 40 of the part 32h which is identical with the part 12b of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5 and includes the drapery pin 41.

The body 33 has a forwardly projecting linger 42 overlying the slide guide 38 for seatingv in a selected one of the holes 43 of the slidably mounted member 40.

When the drape is pinned on the part 32b, the heading of the drape can be pulled forwardly to disengage the finger 42 from a hole 43 of the member 40 thereby accommodating vertical adjustment of the part 32h relative to the part 32a. The tongue 37 of the body 33V will accommodate tilting of the slide guide 38 so that the part 32b can be disengaged from the linger 32. When the part 32b is released the tongue 37 will reclaim its normal unstressed position to swing the guide 38 back into a vertical position whereupon the linger 42 will enter the hole 43 aligned therewith. Y

Thus the modiiied embodiment 32 of the invention operates in the same manner as the embodiment 12 and illustrates the manner in which thek principles of the invention are applicable to ceiling mounted traverse rod installations as well as to wall traverse rod installations.

It will be appreciated of course that many changes in shapes and details can be made to accommodate particular installations without departing from the principles of this invention and such modifications are included within the scope of the invention and the herein appended claims. Y Y f We claim as our invention:

1. An adjustable hanger to mount drapery or the like on atraverse rod comprising l an elongated lirst member having drapery mounting means formed thereon,

a one-piece second member comprising Iirst and second portions situated in mutually spaced relation,

. said` first portion Ybeing, constitutedV of rigid material Vand comprising 'mounting means for mounting said second member on the rod and including groove and shoulder means to provide free movement of the second member along the length of the rod and to restrain pivotal Imovement of the second member about the axis of therrod, Y p Y said second portion comprising a slide guide for mounting said firstv member on said second memberl in mutually slidable assembly,

adjustabley normally-engaging interlocking means formed on said rst and said second members to restrict slidable movement between said first and said second members, Y i

said second member having a third portion formed integrally Vtherewith and constituted of elastic material and deformable in response to a force applied thereto tending to pivot said second member about the axis of the rod'to pivot said first member with respect to said second member to disengagevsaid interlocking means and to permit relative slidable movement betweenfsaid first` and said second members.

2. The Vadjustable hanger as defined in claim 1 wherein said interlocking means is situated remote from said slide guide.

3. The adjustable hanger as deiined in claim l Wherein saidA third portion of the said second member is situated between said first and said second portions.

V4. An adjustable hanger to mount drapery or the like on a traverse rod Vcomprising an elongated Iirst member having drapery mounting means formed thereon,

a one-piece second member being constituted of a single rigidrmaterial and comprising first and second portions situated in mutually spaced relation,

said first portion comprising mounting means for mounting said second member on the rod and including groove and shoulder means to provide free movement of the second member on the length of the rod and to restrain pivotal movement of the second member about the axis of the rod, said second portion comprising a slide guide for mounting said rst member on said second member in mutually slidable assembly, v Y v adjustable normally-engaging interlocking means formed on said first and said second members to restrict slidable movement between said iirst and said second members, y

said-second member having a third portion formed p integrally therewith and dimensioned so as to have a reduced width in a plane transverse to the axis of the rod to render said third portion elastically deformable insuch plane in response to a force applied thereto tending to pivot said second member about the axis of the rod to pivot said iirst member with respect to said second member to disengage said interlocking means and to permit relative slidable movement between said irst and said second members. 5 An assembly for mounting drapery or the like comprising a traverse rod, an elongated first member having drapery mounting means formed thereon, a one-piece second member comprising rst and second portions situated in mutually spaced relation, said rst portion being constituted of rigid material, said rod and Said first portion having formed thereon complementarily shaped groove and shoulder mounting means for mounting said second member on the rod to provide free movement of the second member along the length of the rod and to restrain pivotal movement of the second member about the axis of the rod, said second portion comprising a slide guide for mounting said rst member on said second member in mutually slidable assembly, adjustable normally-engaging interlocking means formed on said rst and said second members to restrict slidable movement between said rst and said second members,

said second member having a third portion formed integrally therewith and constituted of elastic material and deformable in response to a force applied thereto tending to pivot said second member about the axis of the rod to pivot said first member with respect to said second member to disengage said interlocking means to permit relative slidable movement between said first and said second members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,877,984 9/32 Schmidt 16-87.8 2,872,696 2/ 59 Perlmutter 16-87.4 2,901,795 9/59 Graber 16-87.2 2,934,781 5/60 Peckril 16-87.6 3,027,015 3/62 Miller l6-S7.6

DGNLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE HANGER TO MOUNT DRAPERY OR THE LIKE ON A TRANSVERSE ROD COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FIRST MEMBER HAVING DRAPERY MOUNTING MEANS FORMED THEREON, A ONE-PIECE SECOND MEMBER COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS SITUATED IN MUTUALLY SPACED RELATION, SAID FIRST PORTION BEING CONSTITUTED OF RIGID MATERIAL AND COMPRISING MOUNTING MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID SECOND MEMBER ON THE ROD AND INCLUDING GROOVE AND SHOULDER MEANS TO PROVIDE FREE MOVEMENT OF THE SECOND MEMBER ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE ROD AND TO RESTRAIN PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE SECOND MEMBER ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE ROD, SAID SECOND PORTION COMPRISING A SLIDE GUIDE FOR MOUNTING SAID FIRST MEMBER ON SAID SECOND MEMBER IN MUTUALLY SLIDABLE ASSEMBLY, ADJUSTABLE NORMALLY-ENGAGING INTERLOCKING MEANS FORMED ON SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND MEMBERS TO RESTRICT SLIDABLE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND MEMBERS, SAID SECOND MEMBER HAVING A THIRD PORTION FORMED INTEGRALLY THEREWITH AND CONSTITUTED OF ELASTIC MATERIAL AND DEFORMABLE IN RESPONSE TO A FORCE APPLIED THERETO TENDING TO PIVOT SAID SECOND MEMBER ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE ROD TO PIVOT SAID FIRST MEMBER WITH RESPECT TO SAID SECOND MEMBER TO DISENGAGE SAID INTERLOCKING MEANS AND TO PERMIT RELATIVE SLIDABLE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND MEMBERS. 